Professional LEARNING Community
July 3, 2022
As a Solution Tree associate, we have the opportunity to attend one event per year to just learn and grow. This year, I attended an institute in San Antonio the last week of June. Aside from the incredible welcoming hospitality of the Solution Tree family (Many thanks to @mikemattos65, @Regina_Owens, @SSchuhl, @plugusin, @heatherlfriz, and @michelleMarill), the learning was, as you can imagine, splendid.
As I reviewed my 33 (!) pages of typed notes, I thought that this month (and maybe the next one or two), I’d simply share with you some of the one-liners that particularly struck me as I listened to the tremendous keynotes and breakout sessions.
One more thing: my social media followers know that I like food–especially barbecue, and more specifically, ribs. So I’m starting a “Rib Review” as part of each blog. You’ll find this at the end.
So, here for your reading and thinking pleasure, some quotes (and context, when appropriate). Enjoy!!
From Mike Mattos:
This (school) is not an antique mall where you rent a booth and sell your own wares…We are a system.
Regardless of how challenging the last few years have been, our fundamental purpose hasn’t changed. And what is that?…To ensure high levels of learning for every child.
If your mission is to get most kids to learn, then don’t change a thing.
Ideas don’t help kids. Actions help kids.
Our best hope to ensure student and adult learning is to commit deeply to being a true PLC.
Fundamental assumption: Kids learn more when adults learn more! Until every kid is making it, we will continue to learn.
Every decision that we make, learning is the litmus test: Will doing this help more students learn?
Teachers tell me that they hate meetings. No they don’t. They hate wasting their time.
The mark of a leader is not what happens while you’re there. It’s what happens after you’re there. Because leaders make other leaders.
From Heather Friziellie:
I’m really good at a handful of things. Meaning that most things I’m marginally OK at, or not very good at at all. That’s why we collaborate.
Celebrate what’s going well. 1) It keeps us in the game, 2) It makes sure that we are doing best practice and keep doing it.
From Bill Ferriter:
Quoting Rick DuFour: “The one who is doing the work is doing the learning”. When the district does the work, they are doing the learning. And so they are stealing the learning from the teachers.
When you pick essential standards and fail to share them with the kids, you’re wasting everybody’s time.
Until students are invested, you will get compliance and not commitment. And they will forget it right after the test.
From Sarah Schuhl:
When we are agreeing, we may feel comfortable. But it doesn’t necessarily mean that we are learning.
If you’re irritated with me, I’d much rather hear it directly from you than in the hallways or lounge (or social media) from someone else.
Never go more than 10 days, AT THE MOST, without a CFA (Common Formative Assessment).
Idea: Before looking at the data, each person predict what they will see from the data. Then see what we notice, and then move into the analysis phase to see what we find.
From Regina Owens:
Our first job is to learn together.
Certification is not where the learning stops. It’s where it starts.
Professional Learning Community is first and foremost for the professional. So that as we learn more, the students learn more.
You can never GO to a PLC. You can only become one. If you are calling your teams a PLC, stop doing that. We are becoming the learning community. We are not going to one. (You are going to a team meeting).
Result orientation is not a spreadsheet with green/yellow kids on it. A result orientation is a group of people who are constantly asking is it working, is it not working?
Your beliefs don’t make you a better person or professional, your behaviors do. And what we believe matters, because people can see through our behaviors.
The challenge is to go back and not to say that you ARE a PLC, but become one because you are a learner. Do you believe in yourselves enough to do the work differently?
Closing Thoughts
I included a few specific suggestions from presenters in this post, but you’ll notice that it’s mostly about our work as educators being about WHO we are, and not as much about WHAT we do, though it IS about our actions–because ideas without action are not what help kids. If we know our purpose, WHY we exist–ensuring high levels of learning for each student–then the WHAT takes on added urgency and is more easily identified based on our contexts.
Chad's Rib Review
Wow–we had lots of ribs this month!
- Ames (Jethro’s) and Des Moines, Iowa (Smokey D’s),
- Springfield, Illinois (Mission),
- Smoking Barrel’s and Sugarfire Smokehouse (plus my brother’s) in St. Louis, and
- County Line in San Antonio, Texas.
All were good, though County Line may be one of my all-time favorites–the ribs were spare ribs, which, to me, have more flavor than babyback. They were tender, juicy, and full of flavor–no need for any sauces for this one! Plus, the sides were quite good–both the collard greens, potato salad, and coleslaw were fantastic. We went back a second time (in three days), which probably tells you everything you need to know about this delicacy.
Of course, almost all ribs are good, and I would definitely go back to each of these places again–with the exception of Smoking Barrel’s. While the flavor was really good, the meat was dry. Maybe it was just an off day.
Until next time, enjoy!
Questions for Reflection
- In what ways do you debrief from conference experiences so as to more deeply embed learned practices in your work?
- In what ways do you and your school work to make PLC about who we are and not just what we do?
Do you have a story you’d like to share?
Comment below
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